1. ACHIEVEMENT TUTORIAL
CORE POSITIVE IMMERSION ABSTRACTS
 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ACHIEVEMENT
--- SIX KEYS TO PERSONAL POWER
Tape Source: (The Psychology of Achievement)
 PSYCHOLOGY OF WORK
Book Source: (Psychology of Work)
 THE STRATEGIC HEART --- USING THE NEW
SCIENCE TO LEAD GROWING ORGANIZATIONS
Book Source: (The Strategic Heart)
 WINNING DECISIONS --- GETTING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
1) The three factors that determine outcomes or the "quality of achievement" are:
(1) DECIDING --- the thinking and decision process
By definition, you cannot control the factors in the "chance" category --- although
you can seek to move more factors under your control and leave as little as possible to chance!
(2) DOING --- implementation and other factors under your control
(3) CHANCE --- uncontrollable factors, such as luck!
The "outcome" in most real-world decisions depends not only on the quality of
the decision process, but also on a mixture of implementation and chance that is difficult to
disentangle. The closest thing to a guarantee of a "good outcome" is a good
thinking/decision process followed by good implementation!
The outcome or "results" do matter --- but judging solely on results is a serious
deterrent to taking risks that may be necessary to making the right decisions.
Simply put, the way decisions are evaluated affects the way decisions are made!
The public would be better served, and their elected County officials, would be able to do a
more effective job, if government customer service judgments were based on the quality
of decision-making instead of focusing solely on outcomes or results!
2) A good decision-making process --- Dividing the decision-making process into four
stages can provide a reliable guide for any decision process, since consciously
or not, every decision-maker goes through them. They are:
(1) Framing --- It determines the viewpoint from which decision-makers look at the issue
and sets parameters for which aspects of the situation they consider important and which they
do not. It determines in a preliminary way what criteria would cause them to prefer one option
over the other.
In real organizational life, the process is not quite as linear --- or distinct --- as these four stages suggest.
(2) Gathering Intelligence --- Intelligence-gatherers must seek the knowable facts and options
and produce reasonable evaluations of 'unknowables" to enable decision-making in the face of uncertainty.
It's important that they avoid such pitfalls as overconfidence in what they currently believe and the tendency
to seek only information that confirms their beliefs.
(3) Coming to Conclusions --- Sound "framing" and good intelligence
do not guarantee a wise decision.Staff cannot consistently make good decisions using seat-of-the-pants
judgment alone, even with excellent data in front of them. A systematic approach will lead to more
It usually does so far more efficiently than hours spent in unorganized thinking.
This is particularly true in group settings!
(4) Learning from Experience --- Only by systematically learning from the results of past
decisions can decision-makers continually improve their skills. Further, if learning begins when a decision is first
implemented, early refinements to the decision or implementation plan can be made that could mean the difference
between success or failure!
Sometimes, information discovered in the "intelligence-gathering" stage may inspire you to go
back and reframe your decision. Moreover, a complex problem may entail a series of smaller decisions, each of
which may involve several framing decisions, several intelligence-gathering efforts, and several coming-to-conclusion
3) Deciding How to Decide --- The four decision stages consume almost all of good decision process.
Expert decision-maker, however, know they must devote part of their time to making choices about the
decision process itself, choices which can determine the character of the entire effort! Remember,
"A problem well stated is a problem half solved" (John Dewey). The following general questions
should be asked at the beginning of the decision-making process:
(1) What is the crux of the issue that I am facing?
4) Worksheet --- Crucial Questions for "Deciding How to Decide" --- These questions are
especially important in group settings since changing the direction of a group can be like turning a battleship
--- slow and awkward!
(2) How do I believe decisions like this one should made?
(3) How much time should I spend on each stage --- as a first guess?
(4) Can I draw on feedback from related decisons and experiences that I have faced in the past to make
this decision better?
(5) What are my own relevant s trengths and weaknesses?
(1) What is the crux or primary difficulty in this issue? Which of the four stages
in the decision process will be most important?
Book Source: (Winning Decisions)
(2) In general, how should decisions like this one be made --- such as alone or in groups, intuitively or analytically?
Where do my own strengths and weaknesses lie? Where do I honestly need help?
PHASE 1 --- "DECISION-FRAMING"
1. The power of frames
INTERLUDE --- A --- Improving your options
2. Creating winning frames
PHASE 2 --- GATHERING INTELLIGENCE
4) Avoiding distortion and bias
INTERLUDE --- B --- Technologies for aiding decisions
5) Intelligence in the face of uncertainty
PHASE 3 --- COMING TO CONCLUSIONS
6) Choosing --- a "pyramid" of approaches
INTERLUDE --- C --- Implementing your chosen option
7) Managing group decisions
PHASE 4 --- LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
8) The personal challenges of learning
9) Learning in organizations
10) Bringing it all home --- the decisions of RealHome.com
 ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS
Successful achievement is NOT just a GOAL.
It is also a CONSCIOUS CHOICE and a RESULT!
Lasting success is due more to ACHIEVING A BALANCE between your work and non-work
activities than due to driving ambition and extra long hours at work.
Successful organizations are the result of a clear, definite, pre-planned approach to your organization's
Work Performance "Standards:"
Know the difference between "Excellence Standards" and "Adequacy
Book Source: (The Achievement Challenge)
 MASLOW'S THEORY OF MOTIVATION AND HUMAN NEEDS
Click on the triangle to see how each of your basic
"Human Needs" is related to your motivation:
Book Source: (How To Improve Human Performance)
 ACHIEVEMENT IN LIBRARIES
DEPENDS UPON EIGHT PSYCHOLOGICAL INSIGHTS OR PRINCIPLES
There are eight vital "insights" that reveal how to achieve
balance in any organization. These are the "building blocks" of long-term
vitality in a "turned on" organization.
Insight 1) Build a strong foundation
You can measure the long-term "vitality" of your organization by using the "Vitality
Scoreboard" in the book!
Insight 2) Make every customer feel special
Insight 3) Have the courage to set bold goals
Insight 4) Simplify, simplify, simplify
Insight 5) Make technology your servant
Insight 6) Measure well, act fast
Insight 7) Unleash the power of people
Insight 8) Lead with care
Book Source: (Turned On --- Eight Vital Insights)
 LIBRARY ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
1) ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE --- key perspectives and tools --- Flexibility in
analysis or problem
solving can be gained from a modest number of concepts, perspectives and learned abilities.
A useful framework for behavioral analysis of organizations can be gained from the "systems
perspective," the contingency concept, ability to model, multiple perspectives for analysis and
(1) Developing a systems perspective including understanding the basics of model development and
analysis theory and research
2) BEHAVIORAL SYSTEMS --- motivation, leadership, social bases for work systems, and decision
(2) Factors shaping organization structure and their relation to managerial strategy
(3) Reckoning with technological change including influence of organization size and structural impact
(4) The socio-technical complex --- performance and change
(5) Organizational control systems --- concept of multiple criteria in organizational performance and key role
of feedback as a component of a control system
(6) Communications --- rationalizing a general model of a communication system and the internal factors shaping
communication system characteristics
(7) Computers, management and organization --- perspective on shifting roles and organizational functions
emerging from computer-based change through systems analysis
(8) Motivation to work --- perspectives on motivation and a comprehensive motivation model including the
role of learning and change
3) APPLICATION --- Thinking through the bases for applying structural, systems and
behavioral perspectives to organizational planning
(9) Leadership --- understanding the "situational basis" for leadership propositions and
"contingency" approaches including the interrelationships of leadership and motivation
(10) Social basis of work systems --- the human dimensions of work --- defining "organizational
efficiency" based on "social performance" in the context of "role
The KEY QUESTION is --- Are high levels of combined organization performance,
individual satisfaction and self-realization attainable?
(11) Decision-making --- a behavioral perspective --- transition from bureaucracy's "bounded
rationality" to "decision models" for organizations
(12) Development of organizations and human resources --- a manpower planning perspective
including models for organization development and the role of change agents including a quantitative model
for career planning and change
Book Source: (Organization Analysis)
(13) Management of organization change --- establishing parameters for understanding
organizational change and information requirements to support change management
(14) Comprehensive application --- to review and summarize the major themes in the book --- review of major
themes, concepts and relationships in the book including HOW TO USE the wide assortment of
models, perspectives and approaches in the book
(15) Toward the future --- institution niche, mission and impact on organizational issues including organizational
issues associated with quality of work life and impact of minority employees on
 FINDING AND KEEPING GREAT EMPLOYEES
PART 1 --- THE POWER OF "FOCUS"
1) The great challenge
PART 2 --- THE FOUR "CORE CULTURES"
2) The culture connection
3) A culture of "Customer Service"
PART 3 --- FINDING GREAT EMPLOYEES
4) A culture of "Innovation"
5) A culture of "Operational Excellence"
6) A culture of "Spirit"
7) Best practices in staffing
PART 4 --- KEEPING GREAT EMPLOYEES
8) Staffing best practices in action
9) Aligning staffing to core culture
10) Retention --- best practices
PART 5 --- GETTING AHEAD
11) Retention --- best practices in action
12) Aligning retention to core culture
13) Leading the charge
Book Source: (Finding and Keeping Great Employees)
 Clearly embrace one core culture
Moving forward --- You must move forward! You face, on a daily basis, the
great challenge of finding and keeping great employees!
 Prioritize your alignment efforts
 Obtain employee feedback on alignment
 Create alignment initiatives
 Implement alignment initiatives
 Monitor and evaluate alignment initiatives
The longer you do nothing, the worse the "cycle of disconnection"
within your organization becomes. Hiring simply for "job fit" is not sufficient to meet the
challenge. There is only one option ---"ALLIGNMENT!"
To gain long-term competitive advantage, organizations must provide deep,
long-lasting, and purpose-driven focus so that applicants and employees can
best connect to their company and their jobs.
This book provides the "information tools" you need to move forward
and create those powerful "connections" so that you can find and
keep great employees through "allignment!"
 INFLUENCE WITHOUT AUTHORITY
The need for employees at all levels of an organization to take initiative, seek
responsibility, and find ways to gain the cooperation of colleagues and managers will only increase
in the new millennium. When all employees are skilled in the forming of "aliances" and in
the creating of "exchanges" where they can acquire influence by helping others
achieve their goals, large organizations can become fast, flexible, focused and fit to their environments.
They can manage to be "agile" no matter what the size of their organizations because the talented
people in them know how to do what is needed to create results:
(1) Pay attention to what is really imporant --- what are the highest priorities --- to
Book Source: (Influence Without Authority)
(2) See even those with different interests and expertise as potential "allies"
rather than as "adversaries."
(3) Go out of your way to help one another, because that builds the "credits" to trade in.
(4) Diagnose the needs of and take initiative towards fellow employees who won't "cooperate"
rather than see them as "enemies" and writing them off.
(5) Create "win-win" results, which lead to a cooperative, trusting work environment in which it
is easier to make the "exchanges" needed to get work done through ongoing genuine "mutual
 YOU CAN CREATE EXCELLENCE BY MANAGING
CORPORATE CULTURE, STRATEGY AND CHANGE IN THE NEW AGE
Book Source: (Creating Excellence)
 LIFE IN ORGANIZATIONS
--- WORKPLACES AS PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THEM
Book Source: (Life in Organizations)
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